Behaviour changes

[Evilo]

The biggest thing to know ... you have to find a treat that he LOVES beyond anything and then the only time you use it is when he is in the 'mode'. He will then associate the treat with your commands. For my guys, it has been freeze dried beef liver ... Banks could not resist that stuff.

I think I may have found that special treat he loves unfortunately it's food not a toy so my issue now is how do I train without overfeeding? The treat he adores is dried green tripe it smells very strong (quite disgusting actually) so he is very attracted to it and loves the crunching. I'm just afraid of him getting to chunky.

 

[Texas Carol]

I think I may have found that special treat he loves unfortunately it's food not a toy so my issue now is how do I train without overfeeding?
The treat he adores is dried green tripe it smells very strong (quite disgusting actually) so he is very attracted to it and loves the crunching. I'm just afraid of him
getting to chunky.

Great news and kudos to hanging in there with patience, consistency & love.
It does get frustrating and seems to never have an end to bad habits/ behavior
but then, like a miracle, it happens...and so worth it!

The green tripe shouldn't be too much of a concern to add a lot of weight gain.
If you do notice a problem, cut back just a bit on kibble and substitute green
beans in place of lost kibble. My fat Cami has lost from 65 lbs to 60 lbs over
the course of 4 months and trying for 56 to 58 lbs, depending on how she looks,
based on 1 cup kibble with 1/2 cup warmed green beans & 1/4 cup water in AM
& in PM.

Good luck and keep us informed

 

[2BullyMama]

I think I may have found that special treat he loves unfortunately it's food not a toy so my issue now is how do I train without overfeeding? The treat he adores is dried green tripe it smells very strong (quite disgusting actually) so he is very attracted to it and loves the crunching. I'm just afraid of him getting to chunky.

Awesome! Agree with Carol.. Should not be overly concerned on weight,,, but keep in mind the pieces you give can be very small because size of treat dies not matter to them--- it is just getting it

 

[Evilo]

Great news and kudos to hanging in there with patience, consistency & love.
It does get frustrating and seems to never have an end to bad habits/ behavior
but then, like a miracle, it happens...and so worth it!

The green tripe shouldn't be too much of a concern to add a lot of weight gain.
If you do notice a problem, cut back just a bit on kibble and substitute green
beans in place of lost kibble. My fat Cami has lost from 65 lbs to 60 lbs over
the course of 4 months and trying for 56 to 58 lbs, depending on how she looks,
based on 1 cup kibble with 1/2 cup warmed green beans & 1/4 cup water in AM
& in PM.

Good luck and keep us informed

Thanks I will be keeping an eye on his weight alright but he's starting on raw this week so I quests that will be another learning curve for a while. I'm thinking the green tripe shouldn't be too fattening well I hope not anyway. He loves green beans and veg in general so I guess I can fill him up on them.

 

[Evilo]

Awesome! Agree with Carol.. Should not be overly concerned on weight,,, but keep in mind the pieces you give can be very small because size of treat dies not matter to them--- it is just getting it

I'm breaking it into smaller pieces I wasn't sure if I could break it up but I can so that should help. Thanks again.

 

[mer55]

I'm an old member, just returning after a long absence. I found, first of all, my bulldog was the toughest puppy I EVER had! Secondly, that age between 6 months to a year were the absolute worst! I swear I tought I had the spawn of Satan on my hands- biting, ignoring, refusing redirection, NOTHING worked. But through the folks here, I learned positive reinforcement, consistency, and CALMNESS when correcting were instrumental in curbing unwanted behavior. I had to crate Bogey when he got out of control- it was the only thing that worked. He didn't like being isolated, and he usually calmed down and went to sleep. His absolutely favorite training aid was cheetoes! If I just rustled the bag, he was all mine! Think of this stage as the teen years! They will test every ounce of your soul! Read through some of the biting threads- you'll realize you're not alone and you may find some trick that works! Good luck!

 

[Evilo]

I'm an old member, just returning after a long absence. I found, first of all, my bulldog was the toughest puppy I EVER had! Secondly, that age between 6 months to a year were the absolute worst! I swear I tought I had the spawn of Satan on my hands- biting, ignoring, refusing redirection, NOTHING worked. But through the folks here, I learned positive reinforcement, consistency, and CALMNESS when correcting were instrumental in curbing unwanted behavior. I had to crate Bogey when he got out of control- it was the only thing that worked. He didn't like being isolated, and he usually calmed down and went to sleep. His absolutely favorite training aid was cheetoes! If I just rustled the bag, he was all mine! Think of this stage as the teen years! They will test every ounce of your soul! Read through some of the biting threads- you'll realize you're not alone and you may find some trick that works! Good luck!

Thank you so much it's good to know that I'm not alone in my struggle. He is a little better now I'm back at work he loves his time alone I think but when we are here he has to be with us. I have to take a minute sometimes and calm myself before dealing with him (tough when he's jumping at you trying to bite your knee off) but it is the best thing to do. Yes I agree the help here is fantastic thank you all it is appreciated.

 

[helsonwheels]

Ive trained Dobermans and my last big dog German Shepherd 115lbs all muscle was a mission. He was attacked 2x by pack of dogs in dog park. So as he was getting older all he saw was "lets rip dogs apart" which he did a couple yrs ago and grabbed a few bigger dogs than him which he threw them up in the air like kites. So that time I decided to be the only one who had to control of him. But as god is my witness, he was a hell of a mission just keeping an eye on him when he was outside.I had to have bionic eyes with him. But I can guarantee you Olive, it is YOU that needs to be in control, relaxed and extremely patient or your puppy will know you're not and step all over you. Just like children....same thing.

If he bites you, put him asap on the side, hold his neck/shoulder with one hand and other hand on the hip/leg down to the floor. Make sure your just a bite over him so he sees you mean business and with a firm tone of voice... NO. Hold him there for a good minute till his body calms down and relaxed so he sees you're the boss. Just like wolves in the wild, only one boss...in your case, that is you. I don't agree with some of the things Cesar does but when it comes to training, he doesn't use treats. I never do either as its like bribing. Yes I know some are rolling their eyes cause i just said that...lol... to my eyes treats are if you're teaching a dog a trick or command like, sit, stay or down etc. Not cause he bites you and he wants his way or the hwy. Biting aggressively and biting to play is two different things.

So that's my 2cents which I can tell you that it will work....... if you relax n breathe before doing anything with your puppy.